Corporate Social Responsibility

Let's Get Responsible

by Sheldon Rampton — October 1, 2002 - 7:58am

A recent study by the Hill & Knowlton PR firm shows that a good corporate reputation can boost sales and profitability.

Main Source: 
http://www.euractiv.com/cgi-bin/cgint.exe/1946232-385?targ=1&204&OIDN=1503965

Fluff is Not Enough

by Sheldon Rampton — September 29, 2002 - 11:00pm

Marjorie Kelly, editor of Business Ethics magazine, reflects on the "perfect storm in ethics" that has unfolded despite a burgeoning corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement. CSR has failed, she says, because "fluff is not enough." It's time, Kelly says, to begin "talking about system design, understanding why corporations behave so single-mindedly. And that means focusing on power.

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AlterNet, September 30, 2002

Good-Cause Burden Irks Executives

by Sheldon Rampton — September 25, 2002 - 11:00pm

In England, businesses are worried that increasing demands for corporate social responsibility could become "compulsory, as in France. From 2003, French companies will have to demonstrate their commitment to CSR by giving detailed accounts of their social and environmental reporting."

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Guardian (UK), September 26, 2002

Social Responsibility Is Important, But So What?

by Sheldon Rampton — September 16, 2002 - 11:00pm

A PR firm's survey shows that fewer companies are devoting time and resources to corporate social responsibility. Jericho Communications polled 264 CEOs of Fortune 1,000 companies and found that 52 percent of the respondents believe corporations acting responsibly can weaken the influence of terrorist groups, while 36 percent are more conscious of corporate social responsibility since the Sept. 11 attacks.

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Associated Press, September 17, 2002

Oil Execs Debate Social Responsibility

by Sheldon Rampton — September 3, 2002 - 11:00pm

Oil company executives meeting at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in South Africa say they "want to put a kinder face on their industry practices. But their critics are skeptical and none is smiling yet," reports Associated Press writer Bill Cormier.

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San Francisco Chronicle, September 4, 2002

Strange Bedfellows at UN World Summit

by Sheldon Rampton — August 30, 2002 - 3:53pm

Our latest issue of PR Watch exposed the gap between words and deeds at the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa. Amid lofty-sounding proclamations, the Bush administration and business lobbyists are blocking measurable standards and accountability, while pausing for periodic photo opportunities with the same environmental, labor and human rights groups that they are working to neutralize.

Main Source: 
http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/6283

And The Winner Is ...

by Laura Miller — August 29, 2002 - 7:43pm

Coinciding with the World Summit on Sustainable Development taking place in Johannesburg, the Green Oscars announced this year's winners. In the category of Best Green Actor for achievement in Corporate Greenwash, the award goes to BP, for their Beyond Petroleum rebranding campaign, and their "Oil is old news" ad.

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EarthSummit.biz

Shredded Ideals at Business Ethics

by Sheldon Rampton — August 11, 2002 - 11:00pm

In the wake of recent corporate scandals, Business Ethics magazine, which promotes the movement for corporate social responsibility, is facing up to some unpleasant realities. "It appears that much of the corporate social responsibility movement has dealt in peripheral matters, in language, in mechanical social screens.

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Washington Post, August 12, 2002

Philip Morris Offers Advice on Corporate Responsibility

by Sheldon Rampton — July 22, 2002 - 11:00pm

"Even the executive from Philip Morris Companies Inc., the parent company of the largest cigarette maker in the United States, couldn't ignore the irony that he had been scheduled to speak about corporate responsibility," writes Marc Levy in an Associated Press report on a speech delivered on Monday by PM vice president David Greenberg.

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Associated Press, July 23, 2002

British American Tobacco Promotes Its "Corporate Social Responsibility"; Critic Say It's Just PR

by Laura Miller — July 14, 2002 - 11:00pm

"British American Tobacco (BAT) has vowed to plow on with its corporate social responsibility program (CSR) -- despite criticism that its first-ever CSR report is simply a PR exercise," PR Week writes. BAT's released its CSR report last week "after a series of face-to-face forums designed to establish dialogue with its critics." But according to PR Week, more than 130 organizations targeted by BAT refused to participate in the dialogue.

Main Source: 
PR Week, July 15, 2002
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